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Chapter 18
“I was curious how far Richard would resist Lysan—how firm his will really was. It was a bit unexpected that Risse jumped in midway, though.”
Lilit shrugged as she added,
“But thanks to that, I got to watch something very interesting.”
“Did you really need to test Richard’s will? He was getting beaten far too badly.”
“Yeah. I had to check.”
“Why?”
“There’s… a story behind it.”
“I have plenty of time.”
Lilit scrunched her nose at Alina’s reply.
“Then can I have just one bite first? I’ve been dying from the smell ever since it came out.”
Alina, who had been narrowing her eyes, sighed.
Expecting someone to ignore a freshly baked scone with warm butter aroma was cruel. She was curious about Lilit’s reasoning, but she had no intention of being cruel.
Besides, Cayden had been staring only at the scone too. Since Lilit outranked him, he couldn’t eat until she did. Alina decided to set her curiosity aside briefly.
“Go ahead.”
“Thanks. I’ll enjoy it.”
With Alina’s permission, Lilit reached for a scone.
She gently pressed the lightly browned scone, opening it to reveal its ivory-colored crumb.
Bright red bits of fruit, like pomegranate seeds, were scattered within the fluffy interior.
Lilit frowned slightly.
“Is this cranberry?”
“Yes, cranberry scones. If you don’t like dried fruit, there are plain clotted-cream scones too.”
“No, I like them. Looks delicious.”
Lilit placed a neatly crumbling piece of scone on her hand and topped it with translucent ruby-colored strawberry jam before eating it.
The slightly dry scone blended perfectly with the jam, rich with real fruit.
Lilit sipped her Earl Grey tea, her face melting into pure bliss.
“Perfect. Cayden, you try.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Cayden split his scone in half.
Somehow miraculously intact until then, the scone crumbled beautifully in his hands.
As the warm butter aroma spread, Cayden spoke in awe:
“Wow. Even the smell is incredible. Risse, you shouldn’t be a kitchen assistant—you should open a shop.”
“It’s not that special.”
“If you ever want to open one, just tell me. I’ll invest. No—you must let me invest.”
“If Risse opens a shop, I’m investing.”
When Lilit challenged him, Cayden shook his head firmly.
“This I can’t yield. Not even to you, Princess! Risse, understood? You have to drain my wallet!”
Alina laughed shyly at his enthusiasm.
“Maybe someday. For now, just enjoy.”
“Yes!”
Cayden then seriously considered which jam to try first.
Alina watched him, then turned to Lilit.
“If it’s alright, can we continue our earlier discussion?”
Lilit caught Alina’s anxious expression and let out a small “Ah.”
“We were talking about Richard, right? Sorry—I got distracted by the scones.”
She wiped her hands neatly with a handkerchief and continued:
“But it’s your fault for making them so delicious. Don’t blame me too much.”
“That depends on your answer. I don’t understand why you just stood there watching that child get beaten. What reason could you possibly have?”
“Where should I start…”
Lilit stared into the distance, then suddenly asked something unrelated:
“Risse, you know our empire has an Academy, right?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Imperial royalty and nobles are required to study there from age twelve to twenty. The instructors are the greatest scholars of the empire, and the facilities are unmatched. It’s an institution built to educate the upper class.”
She suddenly launched into praise for the Academy.
Alina, feeling as though she’d been dragged into an admissions seminar, tilted her head.
“And that’s relevant… how?”
“Just listen.”
Lilit raised a hand to cut her off.
“Aren’t you curious why Prince Richard still hasn’t gone to the Academy at fourteen?”
“If it’s that, I’ve heard a bit from Richard.”
“What’d he say?”
“That his guardian animal isn’t a dragon—no, that his magic is weak. And uh… Forgive me for saying this, but His Majesty doesn’t seem particularly eager to send him.”
Lilit listened seriously, then popped the last bite of her scone into her mouth.
The buttery, cranberry-sweet flavor made her squint.
“Too good. Really.”
“Pardon?”
“Anyway—what he told you is half right, half wrong.”
She shrugged lightly.
“Here, look.”
Lilit held out her palm.
As she curled her fingers slightly—as if holding up an apple—green smoke rose.
It resembled the black smoke that had streamed from Lysan’s hand last time, but unlike his ominous aura, hers looked almost dreamlike.
Sssshh—
“Say hello. This is Marlya.”
As the smoke thinned, a white, jade-like snake curled around her hand.
Though its tongue flicked out, it wasn’t frightening or repulsive—if anything, it was beautiful.
It felt like meeting a mythical creature from a story.
“H…hello, Mar.”
Alina whispered. Mar gently bowed its head in response.
As the two exchanged greetings, Lilit said proudly:
“My elegant Mar is a White Dragon. I’d love to show you her true form, but the mana cost is too high.”
She clenched her fist, and the smoke vanished—taking Mar’s image with it.
Alina hiccuped in surprise at how quickly it disappeared.
Lilit offered her more tea.
“Even showing a guardian animal like that takes a fair bit of magic. Now think about it. Richard is always with Til. Always.”
Alina blinked. Now that she thought about it… it was true.
She lifted her cup and nodded. Lilit narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
“Richard’s magic isn’t weak. That fool just constantly pours it into Til, so he’s exhausted all the time.”
“Then…”
“The reason he didn’t attend the Academy is because he shrank back and stopped asserting himself. If he stays lying flat like that, who on earth would stand up for him?”
“But… His Majesty dislikes him. Richard told me so.”
“Of course Father dislikes Richard.”
Lilit shrugged.
“To be honest… when I think of Mother, he isn’t easy for me to accept either. That’s why I kept my distance.”
Alina frowned.
“But that’s not Richard’s fault.”
“I know. In my head, I know perfectly well.”
Lilit laughed, embarrassed.
“But people don’t always act rationally, even royalty.”
Hearing her admit it so candidly made it hard to blame her.
Alina pressed her lips together as Lilit continued:
“But Richard’s been different lately. That kid who lived like he was dead suddenly shows up asking to borrow a magic stone. Even refused Lysan’s food.”
Alina tightened her grip on her teacup.
Everything Lilit mentioned… he’d done because of her.
Lilit poured more tea.
“I wanted to know whether that was a brief whim or something real. If he’d finally found the will to live, then I should start caring. That’s why I tested him.”
“And did he pass?”
“Perfectly.”
Lilit smiled widely. Alina swallowed.
“I actually came today because of Richard.”
“You said you wanted to ask me a favor—was it about him?”
“Yes. I wanted to ask if… you would send him to the Academy.”
“Ahahaha! Risse!”
Lilit burst out laughing the moment Alina finished.
“How far are you planning to change that boy?”
Still smiling, she added:
“I’ll help. From my perspective, it’s better for me to take the throne than Lysan, and better still for Richard to take it instead of me.”
“You don’t want the throne?”
Cayden, who had been half-listening while eating, asked in shock.
“It’s a bother.”
Lilit wrinkled her brow and slumped back into the sofa.
“If Lysan becomes emperor, it’ll be a complete disaster. I’m only opposing him because I have to.”
“That’s outrageous!”
Cayden clenched his fist.
“You must become emperor! If not you, then who?”
“My point exactly.”
Lilit rolled her eyes at him.
Alina fiddled with her teacup.
“So does that mean everything you talked about earlier… was something you prepared for me? That you’ll send Richard to the Academy?”
Alina tilted her head. That didn’t seem like something worth keeping secret until her arrival.
Lilit smiled.
“No. What I prepared for you is something else.”
She picked up a silver bell and rang it. A crisp sound filled the drawing room.
Before the ringing faded, the door opened.
“Richard…?”
Alina stood up as soon as she saw the boy enter.
The Richard who usually wore dirty, inside-out shirts was gone.
He was immaculately dressed from head to toe.
He wore a black formal uniform tailored to his long limbs. Silver embroidery—matching his hair—decorated the midnight fabric.
With the collar buttoned and a crisp cravat tied neatly, Richard carried an unexpected air of dignity.
